rough (up)

verb

Definition of rough (up)next
1
as in to lick
to strike repeatedly she was badly roughed up by her boxing partner

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in to abuse
to abuse physically the photographer claimed that he had been roughed up by the actor's bodyguards outside the club

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for rough (up)
  1. lick
  2. abuse
  3. hide
  4. attack
  5. pound
  6. ambush
  7. lash
  8. manhandle
Verb
  • Sweet guitar licks snake around Lee’s voice in the original recording.
    David Bauder, Los Angeles Times, 23 Dec. 2024
  • Water collected in green pools that Leone said would sting if a dog stepped in or licked them.
    Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 19 Dec. 2024
Definition of lick
Verb
  • Saturday afternoon, officers responded to a call reporting a coyote pup being abused in the 10800 block of South Sacramento Avenue by three males, Chicago police said, Officers discovered a dead pup on private property and the coyote was removed..
    Deanese Williams-Harris, Chicago Tribune, 15 Jan. 2025
  • The Star Tribune reports that the mother of two met a group of 15-year-old hockey players from Colorado in a hotel hot tub and later abused two of them in their room.
    Sean Neumann, People.com, 14 Jan. 2025
Definition of abuse
Verb
  • At the time, wolves were still considered predatory varmints to be shot from airplanes, trapped and snared for $100 bounty and whatever hides would bring.
    Al Wolter, Outdoor Life, 10 Jan. 2025
  • Set in a swanky apartment hidden above a cobblestone street, this intimate cooking class teaches you both the simplicity and complexity of Italian pasta.
    Anna Haines, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025
Definition of hide
Verb
  • Based on open-source evidence and the man’s own social-media content, the group traced him to a brigade in Gaza that had attacked residential areas, religious sites, markets, and schools where civilians were present.
    Annie Hylton, The New Yorker, 11 Jan. 2025
  • On screen, viewers witness Mormon soldiers disguised as Native Americans attacking a group of pioneers traveling westward.
    Monica Mercuri, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2025
Definition of attack
Verb
  • Heavy snow pounded the district, with totals of 5-9 inches and isolated areas receiving up to 12 inches.
    Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 7 Jan. 2025
  • Who Has to Fix This? 14 Easy Healthy Dinners to Put on Rotation in 2025 Image A weekend of Israeli strikes on Gaza Dozens of Israeli strikes pounded the Gaza Strip over the weekend, killing 88 people in a 24-hour period, according to the Gaza health ministry.
    Natasha Frost, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2025
Definition of pound
Verb
  • Instead of an upset victory, ASU was ambushed, 38-13, the final 20 minutes by a KU full-court press that forced 12 turnovers.
    Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 9 Jan. 2025
  • The security officials said that several top militants from the Pakistani Taliban had died in the airstrikes, which came days after 16 Pakistani military personnel were ambushed and killed in a border district.
    Zia ur-Rehman, New York Times, 1 Jan. 2025
Definition of ambush
Verb
  • Trump himself has lashed out at Newsom a number of times over the issue and has ignored a request from the governor to visit the area.
    Michael Gfoeller And David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 14 Jan. 2025
  • Spencer is appropriately freaked out and lashing out at just about everyone, though Bobby does offer him a potential suspect in Rafael Campos, the head of the Los Tigres cartel who is currently in prison thanks in part to Captain Spencer and Judge Powell.
    Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2025
Definition of lash
Verb
  • Other officers and prison staff are recorded smiling and joking with each other as Brooks is being manhandled.
    Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 3 Jan. 2025
  • As the last at-large team in the field, the discourse over College Football Playoff blowouts and selection committee decisions turned to SMU, one day after Indiana was manhandled by Notre Dame.
    Chris Vannini, The Athletic, 21 Dec. 2024
Definition of manhandle
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thesaurus Entries Near rough (up)

roughs (up)

rough (up)

rouging

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Cite this Entry

“Rough (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rough%20%28up%29. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.

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